RESURRECTION 1: TWO MARYS

608a/p.648 - The Night of Good Friday. Mary’s incredible anguish over the loss of her Son
continues with the women disciples and John in the “Upper Room.”
608b/p.652 - Mary’s anguishing lament continues. She pleads to Her departed Son to give
Her a sign to comfort Her in the agony of Her terrible loss. [Jesus would not disappoint His
sorrowing Mother! He heard Her prayer long before she prayed, while He was on His way to
the cross . . .]

341. FRI eve The Preparation of the Spices.

(Sabbath) ---- Mk 16:1b,c Lk 23:56b ---- 608c/p.660
Veronica (Nike) brings to the women and Mary the miraculous image on the cloth
she gave Jesus on the way to the cross. The face is a tortured face but a smiling one! It was
the loving sign for which She prayed! The women collect embalming spices (Mary
Magdalene, from her Jerusalem mansion and Valeria, from her Roman friends, Plautina and
Claudia) and plan later to purchase aloe and myrrh through the shepherd Isaac (p663). The
women, Mary Magdalene, Mary Salome, Martha, Susanna and Mary Clopas then prepare the
spices they already have.

609/p.666 - The Redeeming Value of Jesus’ and Mary’s Sufferings. John is Head of the
Lovers. (Jesus gives personal insights to MV.)

342. SAT day Resting on the Sabbath.

(Sabbath) ---- ---- Lk 23:56c Jn 19:39 610/p.672
The women rest but comfort one another. They are visited in the room next to the
“Upper Room” by Manaen, Isaac the shepherd, Longinus the Centurion, who brought the
spear head, Johanna of Chuza, Jonathon, Joseph and Nicodemus, who brought bags of myrrh
and aloes (saving the women from purchasing them “illegally”on the Sabbath, though the
Saturday Sabbath was now voided), Susanna’s husband, Zebedee, and Simon and Joseph of
Alphaeus.
John, having gone out to find Peter and the Iscariot at the request of the Holy Mother,
comes back with the terrible news of the Iscariot’s suicide and the still missing Peter. At
Mary’s request, John leaves again to find Peter. As darkness settles, Mary retires to her room
once again to pray for the strength to believe “on behalf of everybody!”
610/p.672 - The Holy Saturday.

611/p.681 - The Night of Holy Saturday. Hours later in the night, Mary of Alphaeus finds
Holy Mary, having had no sleep for close to three days, on her knees before the “veronica,”
still praying. Holy Mary ends up consoling her sister-in-law in her distress over her two sons,
Judas Thaddaeus and James, for abandoning Jesus. John then finally comes back, having
found in Gethsemane both Peter and the mantle of Jesus that is torn and covered with blood.
Since the Iscariot’s yellow mantle was there and the tears were from human teeth marks, they
conclude Judas was responsible. Peter, not thinking he could ever be forgiven, resists John’s
many attempts to bring him back to Mary, until it was late at night. When he comes he sits
outside the door, weeping, refusing to come in even after Mary herself calls him. Once again
ignoring her own grief, she has to go to the door and pick him up from the ground. What
tender healing counsel is then given to this broken man! They eventually all retire and fall
asleep . . . except the beautiful Morning Star, who can do nothing but pray.

The Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ / AL 34 [Poem Chapters 612a - 634]

L APRIL, SUNDAY

612a/p.690 - The Morning of the Resurrection. It is still very dark as the women disciples
finish preparing the ointments. Peter begins again a terrible lament over his failure. Mary
Magdalene confronts him kindly but directly and powerfully. What a lesson!

1
 At the mention of Jesus’ resurrection, Peters shows his unbelief which both deeply grieve
and anger the Magdalene. She plans to prepare Holy Mary’s room, which is near the “Upper
Room,” for Jesus’ return Monday evening, and lock just the two of them together into it. To
Holy Mary she then says, “The rest, the others who do not believe, we will lock them in over
there with their doubts.” Again it is the Magdalene, because of her tender love for Jesus, that
enables her to assure Holy Mary to stay behind while she and the other four women go to care
for Jesus’ body. John stays behind with Holy Mary and Peter, who has again hidden himself
in grief over his sin. Mary sends John out to find and minister to him.
612b/p.696 - Holy Mary continues her prayers for a hastening of the resurrection of Her Son
while the women are on their way to the tomb. (See 344. below)
612c/p.698 - She is still praying so earnestly that She does not notice the earthquake that
comes a little later. (See 345. below)

343. SUN, 5AM The Women Set Out Together for the Tomb.
Dark Mt 28:1Mk 16:1a, 2,3 Lk 24:1 Jn 20:1a 615/p.704
Mary Magdalene, after starting out with the whole group, decides it best to go
alone to the tomb to see how cooperative the guards would be in removing the stone and if
necessary to buy them off. Martha and Mary Clopas go to get Joanna. Susanna and Mary
Salome go to the city walls and wait for them. So besides Mary Magdalene, who is first at the
tomb, there are (because of the panic created by the quake), these two other groups of women
who would end up at the tomb separately. [NOTE: Another incredible sign of the divine
inspiration of The Poem is found here. Why any group of women (let alone three separate
groups of women) would even think of approaching a tomb sealed and guarded by Roman
soldiers, with embalming spices, expecting entrance, is impossible to understand. This is an
abnormality, which The Poem neither overlooks nor fails to completely explain and at the
same time making complete sense of an otherwise hopelessly confusing Resurrection account.
The explanation is profound, considering the number of complex factors that need to be
brought together and considering that the solution is so natural and logical, requiring no
stretch of anyone’s imagination. How this story comes together by the information in The
Poem points to something beyond human creativity.]
615/p.704 - The Pious Women at the Sepulcher. (Gospel Episodes 343. & 345. -347.)

344. SUN, 5AM The Tomb is Opened by Angelic Force.

Dark Mt 28:2 4 ---- ---- ---- 613/p.698
There is a great earthquake. An Angel of the Lord descends from Heaven. His
appearance is like a very bright meteor, like a sphere of fire, like lightening. There is a great
roar; the collision with the stone knocks it down to the ground, terrorizing the guards. They
drop as dead men to the ground. The tomb is filled with light and soon the Body is filled with
life. The Body now moves, stands, and, blazing with light, walks out of the tomb between
two brilliant angelic beings. The Resurrection is at 5 AM [NOTE: Jesus tells MV that he
died at 3 PM Friday and was 38 hours without life. (See V, p.712)]
613/p.698 - The Resurrection.

614/p.701 - Jesus Appears to His Mother. Mary is prostrate with her face on the floor
in the room next to the “Upper Room.” It would be foolish, however, to think that in mind
and spirit she could not also be following the Magdalene to the tomb. A closed window is
opened with a loud noise and Mary raises her head to see. There she sees her Son, as brilliant
as the sun.

345. SUN, 5AM Mary Magdalene Runs From the Tomb to the Upper Room.
Dark ---- ---- ---- Jn 20:1b 3a 615/p.706
Mary Magdalene, near the tomb but not in sight of it, is jolted by the quake. She
sees the bright light descend and is almost thrown on the ground as it passes near her. She
runs to the tomb in time to see the guards, frozen in fear on the ground, as dead. She is not
thinking resurrection but of some kind of divine punishment for these who have seemingly
desecrated the tomb of Jesus. After all, it is not 72 hours but only 36 hours since his burial.
She forgets her companions, who are waiting for her word, and runs back to Peter and John.
2
Out of earshot of Holy Mary, she tells of what she thought was a horrible desecration at the
tomb. All three race back to the tomb.
615/p.704 - The Pious Women at the Sepulcher. (Gospel Episodes 343. & 345. -347.)

346. SUN, 5AM Three Groups of Women, Mary Magdalene and the [Five] Visits to
the Tomb.
Dawn Mt 28:5 10 Mk 16:4 11 Lk 24:2 12 Jn 20:3b 18
615/p.706
In the meantime, and before the three arrive, Susanna and Salome, because of the
chaos created by the quake, decide to go to the tomb without word from Mary Magdalene.
They arrive at the tomb and see an angel, who says, “He is not here. He has risen.” They are
terrified. They “depart with great fear” (Mt. 28:8a). (It is the Magdalene, and later Mary of
Alphaeus, Martha and Johanna who are spoken of in Mt. 28:8b as departing in joy and telling
the Disciples.) Susanna and Salome think Satan may have deceived them. They go back to
the “Upper Room” where they weep and pray without telling anyone what they saw.
Peter, John and Mary Magdalene now arrive at the tomb and see the empty grave. Finding
it empty, Peter and John return in great distress. Peter is surer than ever there could now be
no resurrection, but Mary Magdalene stays and weeps. She is thus privileged to be the first to
see the Lord (after Holy Mary). Mary Magdalene, who sees Jesus, then runs to the “Upper
Room” to tell Peter and John.
While the Magdalene is running back to the Upper Room, the third group of
women, Mary of Alphaeus, Martha and Johanna, get to the tomb and see two angels who tell
them Jesus is alive and that they are to tell the Disciples. They also rush back and tell Peter
and John (who had just heard Mary Magdalene’s report of seeing Jesus). At this, Susanna and
Salome now confess what they have seen and have withheld from everyone out of fear of
having been deceived. Peter and John having now heard the witness of three groups of
women, still remain in unbelief!
Mary of Alphaeus and Salome (one of the “fearful” women), to settle their own doubts,
return to the tomb. They see only an empty tomb, but on the way back, near Barnabas’
kitchen garden, they see Jesus, fall at His feet, hold His feet and worship Him. In a tender
correction for Salome, He says, “Fear not!” These also report the good news and Peter still
does not believe! It is only when Holy Mary herself finally breaks her long incredible silence
about His visit to her that Peter comes to accept Jesus’ resurrection as at least most probable!
[NOTE: There were three groups of women that initially visit the Tomb and a fourth group
that later revisits: 1) Mary Magdalene, who also visits the second time with Peter and John;
2) The fearful women, Susanna and Mary Salome; 3) The joyful women, Mary of Alphaeus,
Martha and Johanna; and 4) the revisit by Mary of Alphaeus and Salome. John’s account
only covers the visit of the Magdalene. Matthew includes elements of the visits of all three
groups, the Magdalene (v.1), Susanna and Salome (vv. 5-8a), the Magdalene’s joyful witness
combined with the joyful witness of Mary of Alphaeus, Martha and Johanna (v.8a) and the
later encounter with Jesus near Barnabas’ kitchen garden of Mary of Alphaeus and Salome,
who where coming back from their second visit (v.9, 10). Mark (vv, 5-8) covers the visit of
Susanna and Salome and then the first visit of the Magdalene (vv.9-11). Luke is the only real
account of the visit of Mary of Alphaeus, Martha and Johanna (vv. 2-9). He also mentions
Peter’s race to the tomb in response to the Magdalene’s first distressing report and the
Apostles’ unbelief (vv.10-12).] The Church’s first visionaries, therefore, are Mary Magdalene,
Mary Salome (of James), Joanna of Chuza, Martha, Mary of Alphaeus and Susanna of Cana.
615/p.704 - The Pious Women at the Sepulcher. (Gospel Episodes 343. & 345. -347.)

347. SUN, 5AM The Guards are Bribed to Lie and are Given a False Assurance of
Protection.
Dawn Mt 28:11 15 ---- ---- ---- (621/p.728)
After first giving witness to others in Jerusalem of the Resurrection, the guards take a bribe
to deny their story and lie (see chapter 621/p.728). They are told to say that the Disciples
have come and stolen the Body while they were asleep, and that they lied when they said He
had risen from the dead because they were afraid of being punished for having gone to sleep.

3
The Jewish rulers deceitfully promise to intervene on their behalf to save their lives for saying
they had fallen asleep, but, of course, do not.
615/p.704 - The Pious Women at the Sepulcher. (Gospel Episodes 343. & 345. -347.)

616/p.712 - Comment on the Resurrection. Jesus plainly states that the fervent prayers of His
Mother hastened His Resurrection. Three days and three nights are 72 hours. Jesus says He
died at 3 PM Friday and that He was without life for 38 hours. This means he rose at 5 AM
on Sunday morning, 34 hours short of the 72. He speaks of the two angels that were with
Him when He came to revive His body in the tomb. He speaks of the symbolism of the
stricken soldiers who do not discern the passing by of the Eternal God and the meaning of
appearing first to His Mother and then to the Magdalene.

617/p.715 (8 - 9 AM) - Jesus Appears to Lazarus. Lazarus is the first witness to the Disciples
at his estate of Jesus’ resurrection. Jesus now wants Lazarus to tell all the disciples to go over
to the “Upper Room” where the women disciples, Peter and John are together. During this
time, Joseph of Arimathea hurry over to the tomb, which is on his own estate near Golgotha.
He picks up the clean shroud in which Jesus had been wrapped (which was found rolled up
inside the veil) and the soiled sheet in which Jesus was lowered from the cross and brought to
the tomb. These will be entrusted to Lazarus, for he is still in favor with Rome. The Jews
would not dare bother him (see chapter 640, p.901, 902).

618/p.720 (apx.10 AM) - Jesus Appears to Johanna of Chuza. Jesus encourages her
concerning Chuza, her husband, who is terrified over their past association with Jesus now
that He has been condemned and crucified. Jesus speaks how he appeared to their little Mary
and Mathias even before He was raised physically from the dead.

619/p.723 (apx.11 AM) - Jesus Appears to Joseph of Arimathea, to Nicodemus and to

Manaen. In great fear of being arrested by going to the Supper Room house in Jerusalem,
Manaen joins Joseph and Nicodemus in the little house in the olive grove on the Mount of
Olives. As Manaen finally decides to go to the Supper Room house, even at the risk of his
life, Jesus appears to them.

620/p.725 (around noon) - Jesus Appears to the Shepherds. They are on their way to the
Supper Room house from Bethany.